Avatar: The bandit, the fox and the Airbender
by Shadow Wolf X51
Summary: The valley of the end, the final clash. During the last moments of the fight with the rogue nin, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto is sent somewhere very far from home. He is found on death's doorstep by a young blind girl. Not long later, the Avatar awakens inside an iceberg, pursuing his duty to bring peace to the world. Of course, Naruto has never been one to resist a revolutionary war.
1. Chapter 1

**I think I've finally found the willpower to wrench myself back into fanfiction! Rejoice!**

 **...No one?**

 **Okay.**

 **This one has been loitering around in my head for a short while now. I'm putting a slightly new spin on the idea of an Avatar/Naruto crossover (Well not at first, but I have some pretty nifty plans for later on the fic) so I decided I might as well take a swing at it.**

 **I apologise for the prologue being shoddy, I just really couldn't focus re-writing something that's happened in fanfictions a few thousand times. I know, such a cliche way of getting Naruto into another world, but it had to be done. I needed to keep it at a point in time where Naruto isn't overly powerful, but line it up with a big enough chakra blast that he could be popped into another world. My writing is sub-par for this chapter, but I doubt that will continue in future chapters, or at least I hope it won't. I also wanted pre-timeskip Naruto to be the one sent to the other world. Not that I have a problem with the whole post-timeskip Naruto ending up in other worlds, I've done it in my own fics, but I wanted Naruto to be rather weak, immature and young when sent into the Avatar world. His intended pairing wouldn't work if he was any older.**

 **The next chapter should be up pretty soon, so I beg you to stick with me through the prologue. Heck, you can probably skip this prologue and it not affect the story you read at all.**

 **Peace.**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender my bank account would be plump...unfortunately it's comparable a void.**

 **Let the fic...Begin!**

 **Prologue:**

 _Our story starts in a valley, somewhere in the vast country known as Hi no Kuni._

 _The valley was a historical site, known to be the location where the two leading founders of the first great ninja village fought their last battle against each other. Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha. They were two of the strongest men in their time, and many even believed if they were to be resurrected they would still be among the most powerful humans today._

 _It was in this valley that the two collided for the final time, with Madara controlling the Kyuubi- the nine tailed demon fox spirit that was rumoured to cause natural disasters with a flick of its tails- and Hashirama fighting back with the power of nature itself, his wood-release ability granting him control over nature's trees which he used to combat the corruptive power of the demon._

 _The valley had not come into existence until this battle occurred. The two men had changed the landscape with the power they possessed. The valley itself was a serene looking place, with a river running through it and two statues modelled after the great men, a sign of respect and remembrance to the heroes of a previous age. Or rather, that is what the valley had been a couple of hours previously._

 _Now it was a battlefield, it's serene nature disturbed by two new titans. Ironically, the two that had ruined this historical site were related to the men that battled here previously, and once again the valley was the location of a devastating fight between the two warriors._

 _The first of the warriors was the thirteen year old Sasuke Uchiha, a young ninja with black messy hair that clumped together into thick bangs. Due to him relying on a cursed seal for power - a seal created to give the user great power at a great price- his skin and hair had taken on an ashen gray tone and a star shaped black mark expanded from the centre of his face, along with the whites of his eyes having turned dark black. His irises were blood red, and three coma-like marks spread out from his pupils. Emerging from his back was a pair of hand-shaped wings. His horrific appearance was evidence of the corruption of the cursed seal._

 _Across the river was a boy of the same age with shocking wild blond hair. His eyes were typically bright blue, however they had taken on a crimson tone with animalistic slit-shaped pupils due to the power he had to use to match his old friend, the power of the nine tailed fox spirit that created the very valley they were fighting in. He was surrounded by a viscous, bubbling shroud of red energy that had fox like ears and a single tail. The boy himself looked almost like he had been raised by animals, with thick whisker markings on his face and claws as sharp as a katana. On top of this his neon orange jumpsuit was a mess, with a hole on the left side of the torso that exposed a steadily healing wound that had once gone clean through his chest. Additionally, his left arm hung limp at his side due to the corrosive nature of his power having damaged it beyond use. His name was Naruto Uzumaki._

 _It is here that we join one of the heroes of our story. We join him at this specific time because this is the day that Naruto Uzumaki vanished from the face of the Elemental Nations, never to be seen again._

The two teens stood on opposite sides of the river, the tension between them, coupled with their corrupt powers being enough to leave all silent except the waterfall, as no wildlife could stand to stay in the area.

Sasuke's face took on a bored expression as he observed his rival. "I'm not going back Naruto, I've made my choice. Nothing will stand in my way. Leave, before I'm forced to kill you." His statement only angered the animalistic Naruto further. His voice came out as a low growl, with a hint of remorse.

"Don't you get it, asshole? I'm taking you home, even if it kills me." The blond looked conflicted, but he began to form a chaotic orb of purple energy in his right hand, preparing to end the fight. Sasuke, true to his nature, looked unfazed by blond.

"You've become strong, I'll give you that. You can't match me, but who knows, if you leave now you might still become Hokage. Just give it up Naruto." there was a hint of fondness in his voice. Sasuke would never admit it, but he was proud of the growth of his teammate. Who'd have thought that the loser, the dead last of their class would be the only one able to stand equal with him in a landscape-destroying battle.

Naruto did not notice this at all, and his body tensed up. In preparation to fight back, black lightning formed in Sasuke's palm, screeching as it bit at the ground around him.

The fox-ninja slowly looked up and spoke in a near-whisper. "Give up...on telling me...to give up." A few tears rolled down his cheeks as he tensed up. It was at this moment that he realised it was completely possible that he would have to kill the one he considered a brother. He was a danger to the village, and despite Naruto not being the most academic ninja, he knew a threat had to be put down.

"Sasuke!" Naruto's voice came out as more of a roar than a shout as he pushed off from the rock with enough force to crack the cliff face. Sasuke merely screamed as he pushed off with just as much force, beating his wings to build up speed. Both teens flew at each other faster than most could track, their respective techniques held in front of them. Naruto's technique was an attack modelled on a blast from the spirit beasts, and Sasuke's was a specialised assassination technique.

"Chidori!" Sasuke thrust out his arm, a torrent of black lightning covering it.

"Rasengan!" Naruto's typical blue technique turned red as it mixed with the energy of the malevolent fox.

All was silent for but a split seconds, before the collision rocked the valley. One would think the heavens had been torn asunder. The two colliding attacks formed a black, purple and white sphere of swirling energy, the two teens struggling to overpower each other within. Black and blue lightning arced up into the sky, whilst swirling purple and red energy tore trenches in the ground.

Inside the dome of energy Naruto realised his attack wouldn't hold out much longer. The Kyuubi's chakra had done too much damage to his body, and whilst it healed him at the same time it was beginning to take its toll. This was it. Both attacks had lost a fair amount of energy clashing against each other, but coupled with the damage to his body, Naruto could not continue and his Rasengan gave out. With wide eyes he watched as Sasuke plunged what was left of his Chidori into his chest. It didn't bite as deep as the first time, but it still pierced right into his right lung. He coughed out a small amount of blood in the instant they began to fall.

The orb they were suspended within began to shudder. Lightning arced, tearing vicious paths between the land and the sky. Water began to rise into the air, defying gravity as the wind howled and tore at the valley. And then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. The sphere, the water that had been levitating around it, the lightning, all gone.

 **God, that prologue was a pain to write. Sub-standard to my normal stuff but I couldn't stand re-writing even a small portion of the valley of the end fight.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm on a roll! This stuff is leaking from every orifice in my body and congealing into words on the page! Well...not really, but you get the idea! This chapter takes place shortly before Aang leaves the iceburg. I won't focus much on the original gang during Naruto getting used to the Avatar world, as we all know what happens during that time. At the same time, I won't drag out the time between Naruto arriving and meeting the gang too much, because that would just be troublesome.**

 **Naruto will be meeting one of the gang** _ **way**_ **before he meets the others. I am hoping that the first person he meets will be the pairing for Naruto, but I will see how I feel when I start to develop the pairings.**

 **I will most likely have Aang and Katara together, because they are cute together. On the other hand something else might develop.**

 **The pairings won't be the main focus of this fic, but I will include a fair bit of fluff on top of the usual action. Basically, I'm going to try and make sure to mix my own style and the typical humour of the show, so everyone should be happy. If you're not happy, then bring it, flameo! See what I did there?**

 **One more thing, I need a hand in deciding Kyuubi's gender for this fic. I haven't really decided how big a part the Kyuubi itself will play later in this fic, but I want it to become more important eventually, and would like for people to help me pick its gender. I can work with either, so it'd be interesting to see what you guys want. Personally I'm stuck between the two because I have a few good ideas for each, but I'm leaning more towards a male Kyuubi.**

 **Disclaimer: Avatar and Naruto have both ended. If I owned them, that wouldn't happen. Never. I'd keep them running until the day I die, when my fully trained children would continue it, and then their children, and so on. They would continue forever!**

 **On with the story! Yip-yip!**

Toph Beifong had once again managed to evade her family's guards. It was shocking how easy it was for her to slip away on her walk around the gardens. Then again, sneaking around was much easier with her condition.

Toph was a twelve year old girl and the daughter of a noble family. She had thick black hair kept back in a neat bun by an ornate headband. On top of this she wore a long white flowing dress that trailed behind her. Her most startling feature was her colourless eyes. The young girl was completely blind, she had been born that way and had never seen a thing in her life. Well, not in the conventional way that is.

She was walking around through the mountain paths surrounding her home town of Gaoling, simply enjoying the sun on her face and the wind on her skin. As one who had to pay attention to all of her other senses, she enjoyed simply relaxing like this. She loved to train too, but this was a nice break and a good way of simply relaxing.

On a whim, she decided to practise her movement using her Earthbending, for Toph was an Earthbender. She was able to move and manipulate the ground as she desired.

She decided to keep it light and easy due to her long dress, and so she started pushing up and down on the spot slightly. The ground moved with her, rising slightly and then falling as she prepared to move. Just as she was about to launch forward she heard what sounded like the sky itself ripping apart. A wave of heat washed over her as screeching came from the sky. The blind girl grimaced and covered her ears briefly, but as soon as the sound began to become bearable she was on her guard, paying attention to her senses and ready to fight. For a tense five seconds she stood there, before she felt a few drops on her face. Then, over the course of the next five seconds those few drops turned into a torrential downpour.

"Really? Really!? Are you kidding me!" Toph screamed, outraged at the sudden downpour. Before she could vocalise her distaste anymore the worst of it hit her. It was literally a wall of water pouring from the sky. The water wasn't the most unfortunate part of the downpour though. As the crushing wave fell from the sky and hit her, something more solid hit her with it. The air was knocked out of her and she hit the floor with a grunt, the river falling from the sky abating after a few seconds, leaving everything perfectly sunny again.

When Toph finally caught her breath again she noticed that something was on top of her legs. That something was a person. She sat up to try and get them off. "Hey, what the...heck?" She gasped as she laid her hands on the person. Her hands touched something wet. Yes, the whole area was wet, but while the unusual rain was cold, this was warm and thick. Her nose caught the unmistakable copper scent. "Are you okay?" She gently shook him. She could feel his heartbeat, but it wasn't exactly strong. She made some effort to check him over for other injuries, but she wasn't exactly experienced in that sort of thing. After realising she really had no hope of finding anything else, she groaned and with some effort lifted him up bridal style. She could feel some of the warm blood soaking her dress, and knew the boy didn't have long. She set off, creating a wave of earth underneath her to speed up the portion of the trip that was out of sight.

Toph eventually made her way back to the town, heading towards the back end of town where the walls of her family's estate was located. She couldn't sense any guards close enough to help her, so she bent a small hole in the wall and began running towards the main house. _'Great, back to the innocent little lady act. I gotta get this guy some help!'_

"Mom! Mom!" At her calling her mother and a couple of servants came running. Toph quickly decided that if she could, it was worth keeping her cover, and so attempted to look like she was struggling with the weight of the boy. Her mother threw open the sliding door, concerned about why her daughter was calling her so urgently.

"Toph, what is i-Oh heavens!" She grabbed the young boy that her daughter was struggling with and turned to one of the gobsmacked maids. "Well, what are you waiting for!? Contact the family doctor _immediately_! Tell him there's a serious matter that he needs to attend to!"

Toph could not help but grow more concerned for the boy. She knew he was in a bad state, but her mother rarely raised her voice at any of the maids and always seemed calm and composed.

A young man with an intelligent look in his eyes, messy floppy hair and an odd dress sense stood talking to the nobles of the Beifong family.

"Well, I'm sure you took note of the burns on the young man's body. Along with the partially cauterised wound on his chest, I believe the evidence points to him having been attacked by the Fire Nation. Where did you say your daughter found him?" At any other time Lao would have been embarrassed that his daughter had managed to find her way past the guards of the estate, but at this point it may have saved a young man's life. Poppy, Lao's wife, was muttering about how unfortunate the poor boy was.

"She mentioned something about the river. I not yet questioned her fully." The doctor nodded in response, contemplating the boy's state.

"I can't think of any town's in the area having reported Fire Nation attacks recently, but it is not unheard of for them to simply leave victims to die after they have attacked so viciously. The boy is lucky to be alive. From the amount of burns, along with what seems to be a cauterised wound to the chest, I'm surprised he held out long enough to float down the river. In all honesty...I'd normally say the boy doesn't have much chance of surviving, but he does seem to be healing faster than normal. As long as he survives tonight he should make it, though his wounds may hinder him for the rest of his life. Your daughter is very brave, and has a big heart for someone so small."

Unknown to them, a small figure slipped away from her position around the corner, and made her way to the guest room.

"What does concern me is the fact that the boy had a pouch full of weapons on him. Strange metal stars and small weighted daggers. It is most unusual for a boy of such a young age to be carrying around such weapons. You may wish to question him if he wakes up."

She observed the teen laid in the bed before her. She could feel his heartbeat, it was slightly stronger than when she 'found' him. She could hear the rasping sound he made as he breathed in and out, from the sounds of it the wound must have pierced one of his lungs.

" I didn't lug your butt all the way here just for you to die tonight." Toph muttered, and with a sigh she sat down in a chair by the bed in order to 'keep an eye' on him. From what she could gather, he was a little shorter than her, but he seemed to be rather strong. He had the body of someone used to physical training, though he wasn't exceptionally muscular due to his young age. She hoped that he'd at least pull through, it would be refreshing to have someone her own age around for a while.

It didn't take Toph very long at all to drift off, slumping in her seat and snoring softly. Meanwhile, her parents glanced through the open doorway, curious as to why their little girl was staying close to the boy.

"I do not think she's telling us how she really found the boy in such a state. Plus she seems to be intent on staying close to him..." Lao hummed as he tried to figure out the puzzle of the boy that had appeared out of nowhere and looked like he had taken on an army of Firebenders.

"Oh shush, we know she sneaks out from time to time. Maybe he's a friend and they know each other? At least we know she doesn't wander around alone." Poppy leaned up and gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. "Stop fretting over it. She will tell us if she wants to. Now come to bed, I'm tired." Lao smiled.

"I suppose you _are_ right, at least she wasn't alone when she slipped out of the estate." With a sigh he retired for the night with his wife.

Only a few hours later, a gigantic fox sat inside a cage, chuckling menacingly and showing its gleaming man-sized teeth. The creature stood at around two hundred feet tall, and its fur was a brilliant orange and its upper body structure was half way between that of a human and a fox. The fox had nine tails, each slightly longer than its body, and thick black markings went between its ears and brilliant red eyes.

 **"I must say, I'm impressed. For a useless miniature ningen (Human) you have certainly gotten yourself into an interesting situation! This may actually be entertaining. Let's get you moving a little faster, I look forward to an amusing show."**

The gigantic beast grinned and fell down to all fours, spreading its stance wide and giving its tails a mighty flick. Then, with all the ferocity of a force of nature, the beast roared with enough force to shake the massive cage that contained it, and the entire psychological sewer around it. A storm of red energy followed the roar, sweeping through the hallways and affecting all in its path.

In the dead of night the Beifong estate was suddenly overcome with a malevolent aura, and people closest to the guest room containing the injured boy awoke with a start.

Within the room itself, the boy on the bed opened his eyes with a start, coughing and shaking as if he was having a seizure whilst a thin red aura washed over his skin. He clutched at his chest as he shook, doing his best to tear the bandages from his chest. Toph leapt to her feet as she was awoken by a strange feeling. She found the blond on the bed hacking up blood and scraping at his bandages, though she could not see the blood.

"Hey! Stop!" She shouted as she leapt onto the bed in an effort to hold him down. She straddled him and pinned down his wrists, but the young man seemed inhumanly strong! In the midst of his spasms he head-butted her in the mouth hard enough to knock her from the bed, while he tumbled to the side himself and hit the floor, finally wrenching the bandages from his body. The blind girl groaned while holding her mouth, and tried to shake the cobwebs from her head. Once she did so, she prepared to restrain the injured teen once again, but through her method of 'seeing' she realised the wound, which was only slightly noticeable to her senses, had begun to close. The victim himself was growling and clenching his fists in pain. He seemed oblivious to everything but the agony washing over his body as- unseen to Toph- the red energy burnt through the stitches and sealed up with a steaming hiss.

"Gah!" The blond fell back as the energy retreated, his hand clutching at his chest as he tried to catch his breath. At the same time, Toph was in awe as the outline of the injury she could feel vanished along with the strange feeling of danger in the air. She kept her hand pressed to her lip, which was bleeding slightly, and tried to gauge the now awake boy. _'He's strong, that's for sure, but who the heck just fixes their self like that!'_

Naruto's eyes finally refocused as he recovered from the throes of his healing. He noticed he was in an unfamiliar building, and from what he could see with his positioning it seemed quite upper-class. As he went to sit up someone shoved him back down, and the world spun as his aching body protested. "Hey! What the...heck?" He was greeted by the sight of a girl not much younger than himself, holding a hand to her bleeding lip. Her hair was in a messy bun, looking like it had come loose when whatever it was hit her lip. Her dress was scrunched up, but the most surprising thing was her unseeing eyes. The girl's eyes were a dull white, with a hint of green to them, and looked completely unfocused as her head tilted down at him. "Are you ok?" The girl gave an un-ladylike snort.

"I should be asking you that. You're the one that just started going nuts and trying to rip off the bandages that covered the _hole in your chest!_ And then you head-butted me when I tried to stop you! Are you nuts?" She hissed out, pointing a finger at him.

The boy looked down at his chest with a hint of shame, and he looked at where the hole once was. Whilst the similar injury on the other side had healed without even a scar due to it being healed instantly by a massive amount of the fox's chakra, the wound on his right side had left a ropey, purplish scar due to being healed with considerably less chakra and having been left for a while.

"Ah...damn. Sorry about that. I just had to get that piece of junk off." He rubbed the back of his head shamefully, a mannerism that he didn't tend to notice himself, but the girl took it as an acceptable apology...just about.

"It's fine." She snorted. "The name's Toph. Toph Beifong." Toph offered him a hand up, which he gratefully accepted. "Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." She pulled him up with surprising strength and internally dismissed the fact that he said his last name before his first the second time around.

"No, you're Knucklehead." Naruto cried out in irritation.

"What!? Why Knucklehead?" He was inwardly cursing, even for people he'd only just met that was the first nickname to spring to mind.

"Because until you learn it's not nice to fall from the sky on little blind girls along with half a river and bleeding everywhere, you'll be known as Knucklehead. It's that or shorty." Toph stuck her tongue out at him.

The ninja at least had it in him to look embarrassed, not that it really mattered to Toph. She butted in before he could even reply, crossing her arms and staring straight in his direction. "So, you gonna explain _why_ you fell on me with a hole in your chest?" she said in a tone that left no room for evasion, the girl was out for answers. The Uzumaki shoulders immediately fell. Thankfully, he remembered some of the knowledge his teachers had tried to implant on him during the long trips to reach mission goals. Reveal only what is necessary, nothing more.

"Well, I, uh... I was chasing my fr...a guy that betrayed my village. His technique did a number on me, I don't remember much after that." The pain was evident in his voice, and he had to gulp down his sorrow and anger concerning the subject. He was surprised by a rather strong fist thudding into his shoulder.

"Hey, don't go all mopey on me mister. If it's a sore subject, just say. You've just somehow healed a near fatal injury, they weren't sure if you were going to survive the night. Surely that's something to crack a smile about!"

In response he gave a soft smile, not that she could see it, but through her earth sensing she could sense the slight change in facial shape and the fact that he seemed to shrug off his worries, if only for the moment.

"Good." She stated simply, and sat down on the bed. She gestured for him to sit with her, and he did so. At the same time he was inwardly musing over the girl in front of him. _'Weird girl. She dresses like a stuck-up noble lady, but she's got guts, like me. And she's blind, but I get the feeling she could whoop ass any day of the week._

She was dressed like a noble lady, yet she came off almost as abrasive as he did. She was blind, but she certainly didn't come across as a pushover.

"Hey, where are we anyway?" He squinted in confusion. The building style didn't match that of anywhere he'd been in fire country, at least not from what he could see inside.

"The Earth Kingdom, obviously." Naruto gasped. "What!? Tsuchi no Kuni? No way." He was silenced by a soft punch in the shoulder that got his attention.

"No, I don't even know what a suchi-whatever is. I said the Earth Kingdom, and idiot, we've gotta stay at least reasonably quiet. My parent's room is pretty far away, but it _is_ the middle of the night." Naruto's face grew flushed as his mind came to the incorrect conclusion that he was in the girl's room.

"I-I shouldn't be...sorry...um...this is you room, I-I shouldn't be..." Toph sighed, resisting the urge to hit his shoulder again. He seemed tough, but he had recently recovered from a hole in the chest. She could feel his heart suddenly flutter with panic.

"Wimp, this is the guest room. Don't think such stupid things." Naruto immediately quietened down, and the two simply sat like that for a few minutes, comfortable in silence.

The fox-container slowly realised that he had no clue as to the fate of others that had been on the mission, and worry gripped at his chest as he continued to dwell on it. Suddenly, he sprung up, startling Toph.

"I need some air, could you show me out?" Toph could tell by something in his tone of voice, something similar to hers, that meant no wasn't an answer. He was stubborn, if she said he should rest he'd probably just wander around and try sneak out later, or do something stupid like jump out of the window, though little did she know that as a ninja the window would probably be his first choice.

"Yeah, fine. This way." The blind girl stood and lead the way out of the estate's main house. Naruto, somewhere deep down, was shocked that the blind girl was walking as if she could see perfectly fine, but his mind was clouded with worry. To anyone that knew him, they would be concerned. The loud and typically brash clown was sombre enough to cause concern. After a couple of minutes the two eventually stepped out onto a stone porch, lit lightly by candles on brackets in the doorway. The blond looked at the sky and barely bit back a gasp as he looked up at the sky. He tensed up slightly, but sighed and tried to let it go. Not that Toph would let it.

"What's up Knucklehead?" He had no clue how the slightly taller girl knew something was wrong, but around someone so perceptive it would be useless to hide things like that unless he learned to control himself better.

Naruto swallowed dryly and took a deep breath. "It's...the stars. I've been trained to nav..."he gestured for a second, trying to find an easier word he knew to explain it. " To find my way using the position of the stars. Here in...'Earth Kingdom', they are nothing like they are back home, or any of the surrounding countries. Wherever I am, I'm not exactly within walking distance from home." He clenched his hands, growling slightly and he looked at Toph side on. "You get what I mean, right?" She sharply nodded. "I'm not an idiot, when someone knows their way, they know their way, know what I mean. I believe you. If you can find your way home by the mysterious bright things in the sky, then them being different has to mean something." Naruto couldn't help but ease up a little. The girl was apparently able to poke fun at her own handicap. He couldn't help but feel that such a thing was kind of...enamouring about a person. He always reacted badly to any mention of his own stigma that followed him, but here was this girl, completely unable to see yet seemingly holding her head high and strong in spite of it, to the point at where she could say little odd things about it.

He began to walk forward as Toph observed him, curious about what the newly named 'Knucklehead' would do.

"Am I ok to blow off some steam? I need to work this out, and I think a small workout will help." Toph smirked. This was her kind of guy. The kind that knew the right way to unwind!

"Yeah, go ahead. Just don't come crying to me when you hurt yourself." She smirked and crossed her arms, widening her stance slightly to better 'feel' what he was doing. Naruto grinned as he walked partway out onto the wide stone pathway in front of the main house. He placed his hands in an odd position, his fists clenched except for the index and middle finger of each hand, which made an odd cross shape in front of him. Toph observed him, intrigued by what odd combat style or bending he was going to use. The wounds that he apparently had signified he'd been in some kind of battle, and to come out with such wounds must have meant he was no pushover.

Mindful of the fact that people were sleeping, Naruto quietly stated the name of his technique. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu." There was a large puff of smoke, and ten copies of the blond appeared around him. Toph looked shocked, and almost told him to watch out, when she realised that all of the copies had the exact same body shape and feel as Naruto himself. Toph's surprise only grew as all ten copies charged in tandem towards the original Naruto, whom merely settled into a brawling stance. With practised ease the shorter teen leapt forward, seemingly going for a flying punch towards the clone directly ahead of him who prepared to counter, only for the original to rotate in the air and slam an axe-kick into another clone that was coming to the first clone's aid. Toph didn't understand everything that happened, but she knew that the original landed in that clone's place after it vanished.

After that first strike the other clones were on their guard, and so for the next few minutes Toph watched as Naruto battled his copies, trading blows and somehow keeping track of the original. She was impressed by his fighting style. He didn't seem to use any form of bending, although he had this odd copy technique, and yet he fought against the nine copies of himself like an expert, somehow handling the large number of foes like a seasoned pro. As Naruto steadily disposed of his fragile clones, he didn't notice one of them slip underground, however Toph did. The girl found it odd that it did so seemingly without Earthbending. She found amusement in the fact that such a trick wouldn't work on her, and she watched the teen eliminate what he thought was the final clone. Just as the hidden copy moved, so did Toph. Naruto spun around with a surprised expression as the clone launched out once he lowered his guard, but Toph made her move. She leapt forward and stomped. That stomp apparently made a pillar of earth jut up from the ground and slam into the clone's chest hard enough that it dispelled in a loud pop.

"Wow." Naruto stood gobsmacked as the pillar returned to the Earth and Toph stood giving him a smug grin. After a few seconds he couldn't help but chuckle at her expression.

"Well, don't just stand there. Bow before your saviour!" Toph said jokingly, to which Naruto bowed in an over exaggerated mocking fashion.

Toph gestured for him to rise, and for the first time in a while she felt comfortable with someone outside of the family. _'I wonder, could this Knucklehead be a friend?'_

"Come on then, Knucklehead. It's late, and I need my beauty sleep. We can run around playing tag with your dumb copies tomorrow." And with that she strode off into the house. Naruto himself couldn't help feeling happy. Despite the aching in his heart, and the worry for his team, he knew that at least there was some good in all of this.

 _'Everyone's fine, they've gotta be. Bushy-brows is too...inhuman to be killed by the bone freak, Neji probably bored his opponent to death with his fate talk, and Shikamaru could probably outsmart an entire army! Only if his lazy day was on the line though.'_

Naruto stopped to take one last look at the stars.

 _'I've even got a new friend. I don't know where I am, but I think you must be here too Sasuke. And I'm gonna keep my promise, I swear it!'_

 **Whew! Feels good to be working on fanfictions again! I think at the start of the chapter my flow wasn't quite right, but by the end it started to come back to me. I'm back people!**

 **Please review, I'd love to know what you think of it so far. I'm happy with any comments, constructive criticism and the like. Feel free to flame if that's what you do, I'll only use it to power the Fire Nation's ships in the fiction.**

 **Peace out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed! The reception this fic received on its very first day warms my heart, especially considering it isn't the largest of all crossover sections for each series.  
In the several times I've rewritten this chapter this story has become one of my most popular fics, which was rather unexpected since it was just something I worked on for myself and someone else. Guess I'll have to step up my game, eh?**

 **Apologies for the late update, I've got a fair bit to juggle and I'm also trying to maintain a couple of original stories on Wattpad, also I'm not exactly renowned for my update speed. When I start writing a chapter it can usually be considered done, the real difficulty is getting me to sit down and write.**

 **This chapter has been especially difficult, as my writers block these last couple of months is comparable to the diamond wall in Doctor Who: Heaven Sent. I've been punching at it for 20,000,000,000 years and I've finally shattered through!**

 **Anyone get the little homage last chapter?**

 **I've got big plans for this fic, and I'm seriously hoping I can stick to it. Three chapters within two days is something I haven't hit since my first fic (though please no one look for it, I was thirteen and my writing was horrendous). Yeah, that's right, most of this chapter was finished within days of the last update! But I've re-wrote it so many times, and actually the original was ok, I had to do a bit of tweaking to the ending though. Dammit Shadow, why u do dis!?**

 **I've decided to mix things up a little. I know there's labelled pairings on the fic, but considering it's going to be quite a while before any relationships actually form, I'm giving you guys the choice of who Aang gets paired with! I imagine that most are probably going to want the canonical pairing, but I realise some people may want him to be paired with someone else. Heck, all pairings are open to voting except for Naruto/Toph since that's concrete in my plan. I'm open to people wanting Zuko/Katara, heck even Azula/Aang if people vote for that more. I can at least do that little fan service.**

 **So currently you can vote for the pairings, as well as the Kyuubi's gender. Although I'm open to suggestions for any other aspect of the story.**

 **Unfortunately, it will be at least a chapter or two before I switch over to occasionally focusing on Aang.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Avatar. Such a thing is but a genie's lamp away though! If you are feeling generous, please donate a genie's lamp so I can become the owner of both series, and then I will use the last wish to grant something mutually beneficial!**

 **Let's get this show on the road!**

Naruto woke up to a sharp rapping on the sliding door of the room he was staying in. His body still ached from overusing the Kyuubi's chakra, and he could feel slight phantom pains from the wounds he had received in the battle. He couldn't help but groan as he sat up.

"Um, come in!" A middle-aged maid entered the room wearing long brown robes. In her hands she held Naruto's old stitched up jumpsuit trousers and a short, orange casual kimono with white trim.

"You have my apologies, dear boy. Stitching your trousers was relatively easy, however, your odd upper garment may take a while longer. The Beifong family has decided to generously give you this matching kimono as a replacement. Also, the family has invited you to join them for breakfast in fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, I guess?" Naruto's confused expression was amusing to the older woman, and she chuckled and gave him a nod. The woman placed the clothes at the foot of his bed and gave him a small bow before departing. Naruto couldn't resist rubbing the back of his head. The whole formal thing _still_ went right over his head, at least for the most part. One would think that having sat in his village leader's office regularly as a child would have imparted at least the slightest idea of how to act informally, but it was not to be.

As the blond rose from his bed he looked over the kimono that had been supplied to him. It seemed to be made of a relatively sturdy material and made for ease of movement. Well, he supposed that it was obvious that he was a fighter, especially with the state he was found in, so they probably decided it would be best to give him something he could fight in. And it was orange too! It would require a bit of a personal touch, but Naruto found it to be almost perfect.

After observing the room a little more, Naruto found his pouches and supplies all placed off to one side. He excitedly raced over to the combat pouches and withdrew a small scroll, only slightly wider than his palm.

 _'Pervy sage, boy am I glad you taught me how to use these things!'_ The scroll was a sealing scroll, paper covered in an intricate design and infused with chakra to grant access to a small pocket dimension, capable of storing more than one would be able to carry in a backpack. As Naruto unfurled the scroll, he almost withdrew one of his spare outfits, although some tiny figure in the back of his mind advised him that wearing the provided clothes would be more appropriate. He did, however, pump a small amount of chakra into the scroll in order to withdraw a mesh shirt made of thin steel wire, which appeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto grinned. _'Perfect'_

Twelve minutes later, one Naruto Uzumaki entered the dining room of the Beifong main house. He was wearing the short-sleeved orange kimono, tied rather loosely so that it only closed at the bottom of his chest, with the wire-mesh shirt underneath. Tsunade's necklace was proudly displayed over the mesh shirt. He also had on his usual jumpsuit trousers, his ninja sandals and his Konoha headband. He had decided to leave his weapons pouches in the room as a show of trust...well, as trusting as an unusually naive ninja could be: he still had a couple of kunai hidden on his person.

Lao was the first to greet him. "Let me welcome you to our home, young boy, and congratulations on a most remarkable recovery. I've never heard of anyone able to heal overnight from such grievous injuries." Lao said politely with a degree of curiosity, smiling at the boy when he arrived.

The fox-holder couldn't help but blush and grin. "Well, I guess I'm not just anyone, ya know. Uzu-" He remembered the fact that Toph had used her family name last in her introduction, and decided it would probably help him seem somewhat respectable if he did the same. "Naruto Uzumaki, good to meet you! And thank-you for helping me!"

While Poppy chuckled at the boy's rambunctious demeanour, Lao reserved any display of emotion, quietly judging the boy. He had never faced direct combat, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that the kind of wounds the boy had been found with should not have fixed themselves overnight, and the malevolent aura that unsettled people the night before was probably no coincidence.

"Please, sit and eat. You must be rather peckish."

Naruto looked a little sheepish as his stomach roared louder than the beast contained within it ever could. "Haha, yeah, I could really go for some food." And with that, he slung himself over one of the chairs and began to inhale food at an alarming rate. Lao was both astonished and appalled at the table manners of the young man that had began stuffing his face, thinking that surely other warriors were more refined than this savage. On the other hand, Toph was reigning in her slight jealousy as she kept up the quiet innocent act whilst the blond was able to sit and tear into the meal.

"So...Naruto. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?" Naruto's mind kicked into overdrive. _'Damn it! Come on Naruto, you know this. First rule of waking up in an unknown place...I should have stayed awake in class, maybe then I'd remember...remember! If you know nothing, act like it, or something like that. Oh! And figure out who your enemies are so you can Rasengan them!...Maybe Iruka didn't use those exact words.'_

It was time for the master prankster to pull one of his most risky pranks yet: he was going to lie to a politician. He made a slight show of blinking slightly, forcing a look of shock onto his face. "I-I" He gulped. "I don't remember." He whispered just loud enough that they would be able to hear. Toph easily saw through the lie, her tremor sense picking up on the slight change in the rhythm of his heartbeat, but other than that he sounded rather convincing.

"So you remember your name, but not where you are from? Hmm." Naruto internally winced. He'd probably started the act a little late. Lao looked a little tense, his defensiveness when it comes to his family starting to show. After all, he doubted a boy that they had rescued would attack them, but he _could_ be a Fire Nation spy, and he had healed his wounds unnaturally fast.

"I'm not sure, I remember a few parts of what happened. A little bit of what I used to do, a few of people that seem like friends, and when" Naruto took a deep breath, making him look distraught as he readied himself for his grand finale. "when I was hit by the l-lightning and the fire." The wince and the gulp that followed were genuine as the memory of Sasuke's hand piercing his chest jumped to mind, but he tried to stop himself from thinking about it too much and instead focussed on eating, though this time only picking at the food.

Lao was still suspicious, but he relented when Poppy placed a hand on his arm. Toph was feeling very awkward, unable to say anything to help, but she knew not everything Naruto said was a lie.

The memories of the mission were not submitting to his willpower, and Naruto's breathing began to grow heavy. "S-sorry, thanks for looking after me, but I just need some air." Other than the slight stutter, Naruto managed to look relatively inconspicuous while he was leaving the room. He struggled as his body seemed to cry out for him to run, and run he did once he was outside of the room. He pushed his body as fast as he could until he stumbled out of the doors of the main house. The Beifongs were slightly shocked by his rudeness, but grew concerned at his sudden departure.

 _'What the heck is happening to me!?'_ Naruto panted as his body shook, fear clutching at his heart in ways it never had before as his chest grew tight. The scar from Sasuke's Chidori sent spasms of pain across his body. In his mind he saw in vivid detail both of the times that Sasuke plunged the lightning cutter technique into his chest.

With shaking hands he pulled the front of his shirt away from his body to stare at the disfigured scar. _'Dammit Sasuke, why?'_ The scar on his chest pulsed again, but he suppressed the memory of lightning piercing and burning through his chest. With a deep breath, the Jinchuuriki pushed past the pain and looked out at the sunrise. One hand clutched at his chest as he puzzled over his supposed best-friend's behaviour.

Whilst absorbed in his thoughts, Lao had approached the boy, and had noticed the way he clutched at his chest. "Your wound has healed, but still has a way to go, correct? Come and eat some more. We have herbal remedies that will help, but you cannot take them without a full stomach. We will leave the important discussion for a later point when you feel recovered."

Naruto couldn't fathom what the 'important discussion' was, but he nodded and followed the man with his mind racing and puzzling over his predicament. _'Where am I? And where's Sasuke? How far from Konoha am I? Dammit, Shikamaru would figure this out in a snap! Gaaah!'_ The blond restrained the urge to run his hands through his hair, and focused on the task at hand. Eat!


End file.
